Art in Science: Unellenu’s Fractal Art

Janelle Wilson who goes by the artistic name of Unellenu is a jewelry designer based in Sydney, Australia who creates unique jewelry pieces inspired by fractals. For those who are not familiar with fractals, a fractal is a never ending pattern that repeats itself in different scales. These designs are usually a representation of a mathematical function that is repeated over and over again as in the case of Mandelbrot and Julia sets in geometry. Fractals can also occur naturally in the case of rivers, trees and seashells among others.

Due to its complex nature, fractal art is mostly done with the aid of computers. However, it should be noted that not everyone who owns a computer is capable of making fractal art. Just like any form of art, the creation of fractal art requires vision, passion and creativity, on top of the logical process needed to create the design.

In the case of Unellenu, she said she uses a variety of programs and processes to create her artworks. Some of the programs that she uses include Rhino3D, Rhinogold, Grasshopper 3D and Blender. Her designs are then manufactured into jewelry pieces either through the use of traditional methods or through 3D printing.